Exercises for digging?!?

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Replies

  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    imfornd wrote: »
    compound moments - truth people here will say squats - dead lifts - back biceps etc.... and all those will help BUUUUUUT in the end you will be hurt because you will focus on strengthening only those body parts and most likely leaving other body parts weaker

    take for instance bad backs - you have great looking abs your quads are well defined but how are you hamstrings - alot of back problems come for a lack on hamstring strength - compound movements will make you strong everywhere ---- you are going for function - NOT look - and in that case compound movement is what i would stick with

    Since when are deadlifts and squats not compound movements??
    And since when are they not awesome for hamstrings??
  • Momepro
    Momepro Posts: 1,509 Member
    Are they only going to be big holes? You might also want to work on flexibility stretches, like kneeling and sitting back on your feet, if you are going to be doing much close work, and curling forward and holding position (my sister the anthropologist said close work can be alnost as taxing as big hole digging)
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    edited February 2018
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    imfornd wrote: »
    compound moments - truth people here will say squats - dead lifts - back biceps etc.... and all those will help BUUUUUUT in the end you will be hurt because you will focus on strengthening only those body parts and most likely leaving other body parts weaker

    take for instance bad backs - you have great looking abs your quads are well defined but how are you hamstrings - alot of back problems come for a lack on hamstring strength - compound movements will make you strong everywhere ---- you are going for function - NOT look - and in that case compound movement is what i would stick with

    Squats and deadlifts aren't compound movements?

    LOL.

    I'm utterly bamboozled by that sentence myself. I read it three times to make sure it said what it said because I didn't think it could possibly be saying it.

    To the OP, I like the suggestions dealing with real materials. Or the kettlebell swings. They're a great full body exercise that I'm pretty partial to. For the core/anti-rotation exercise, paloff presses are pretty good. If you don't have access to a gym and a cable machine, you can do those with a resistance band at home.
  • jessicagreen1828
    jessicagreen1828 Posts: 133 Member
    Can you just get an auger? Or does that ruin the science?
  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,403 Member
    Tractor tire and sledge hammer may help your strength and endurance. Flips and hammering may aid shoveling and pic-axing movements.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,210 Member
    beabria wrote: »
    Also, actually digging practice holes isn't an option - I have no yard for this.

    Digging is a specialized skill, and the best way to improve at a skill is to practice it. Look around for places to dig - maybe an empty lot, at a friend's house, a community garden, the side of a road, etc. It only needs to be twice a week or thereabouts.
    Check the tutorials on youtube for "how to dig a hole". :+1:
  • beaglady
    beaglady Posts: 1,362 Member
    Find some gloves that you like. You will get blisters.
  • DevilsFan1
    DevilsFan1 Posts: 342 Member
    beabria wrote: »
    French_Peasant wrote: »
    Or, you know, just go buy a few bags of pea gravel and shovel it from spot A to spot B and back again. :D
    Actually, I think I can do that. I have a basement and some shovels. I'll just hope to not have to explain it to my landlord. :wink:

    Ah yes. The Cool Hand Luke fitness program. :)
  • beabria
    beabria Posts: 470 Member
    No, I can't use an auger, we'll be in remote locations flying in by helicopter, so there's a weight limit on equipment we can carry. Similarly, I can't hire someone regardless of their legal status; we won't be near any population centers. They will primarily be large holes, but yes, close holes have their own particular challenges.
    For clarity, I do this for a day or two from time to time, so I'm not a total novice. But, this time it'll be for hours a day for several weeks straight. Hence the wanting to be stronger and more fit for duty (and hopefully in less pain!). Thanks for the suggestions.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,210 Member
    Those darn luggage limits on aircraft.

    Closest thing i've done is sledgehammer shoveling, which is explained here: https://youtube.com/watch?v=_OjQo7Bg5ho

    That's for stamina/endurance of the target muscles. For overall strength, I would also do a full-body strength program (Stronglifts 5x5, etc). :+1:

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